Learn Hardcore Turkish: Bahçede incelediğim çiçekler kurumuş, bu yüzden onları sulamak artık işe yaramıyor. - The flowers that I examined in the garden have dried up, so watering them now is useless.

"İncelediğim" is derived from the verb incelemek (to examine) with the relative clause suffix -diğim. It literally translates as "that I examined" and functions as an adjective modifying çiçekler (flowers).

Why does the relative clause appear before the noun in "Bahçede incelediğim çiçekler"?

In Turkish, adjectives and relative clauses—including those formed from verbs—always come before the noun they modify. Here, "incelediğim" precedes "çiçekler", indicating that it describes the flowers; thus, the phrase means "the flowers that I examined in the garden."

What does "kurumuş" mean, and how is it used in this sentence?

"Kurumuş" comes from the verb kurumak (to dry up) combined with the suffix -muş, which indicates a completed action or a resulting state. In this sentence, it means "dried up" or "withered," acting as a predicate adjective that describes the current condition of the flowers.

How does "bahçede" function within the sentence?

"Bahçede" is composed of bahçe (garden) with the locative suffix -de, which denotes location. It tells us that the action—examining the flowers—took place in the garden.

Why is the pronoun "onları" used instead of the noun "çiçekler" in "onları sulamak artık işe yaramıyor"?

After introducing çiçekler (flowers), Turkish speakers often use the pronoun "onları" (the accusative plural form meaning "them") to avoid repeating the noun. This makes the sentence more concise while clearly referring back to the mentioned flowers.

What is the role of the infinitive "sulamak" in this sentence, and why isn’t it conjugated?

"Sulamak" means "to water" and is used in its infinitive (gerund) form to denote the action itself as a noun-like concept. In the sentence, it functions as the subject of the clause "işe yaramıyor"—indicating that watering them is no longer effective—which is a common construction in Turkish when discussing the efficacy of an action.

What do "bu yüzden" and "artık" mean in this context?

"Bu yüzden" translates to "so" or "therefore," linking the fact that the flowers have dried up to the consequence that watering them no longer helps. "Artık" means "anymore" or "no longer," emphasizing that the action of watering, which might have been effective in the past, is now futile due to the dried condition of the flowers.